BRCHS to request money from county for mental health services

Blue Ridge Community Health Services

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners will be asked Monday to appropriate $100,000 to Blue Ridge Community Health Services. The community health center recently agreed to take on an additional 700 patients once served by the PATHS outpatient psychiatric clinic.

Photo provided

By CAITLIN BYRDTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Monday, May 12, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, May 9, 2014 at 4:52 p.m.

To both meet mental health care needs and minimize disruption of care for roughly 700 patients once served by Pardee Hospital's shuttered outpatient psychiatric clinic, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners will be asked Monday to appropriate $100,000 to Blue Ridge Community Health Services.

“What people need to remember about those 700 people is that these people aren't somebody else. Those 700 people are people you work with. Those people are people you go to school and go to church with ... these are your neighbors,” said County Manager Steve Wyatt. “Failure to address these issues could have devastating effects not only on those consumers, those patients, but also the taxpayers.”

Last week, Pardee officials announced that the outpatient clinic known as PATHS, which stands for Psychiatric and Addictions Therapeutic Healing Services, would close its outpatient services effective May 1. The closure does not affect the inpatient psychiatric and detoxification services currently offered at the hospital. However, it directly affects BRCHS, which agreed to take on the patient volume.

Currently, there are 4,283 patients receiving behavioral health services in Henderson County from BRCHS. However, an additional 700 patients would increase the patient volume to almost 5,000 — a sizable increase for a current staff of less than 10 full-time behavioral health professionals.

If commissioners approve the request Monday, BRCHS CEO Jennifer Henderson said the local health care center will be able to hire an additional psychiatrist, registered nurse and case manager. Henderson said the team would be working at the Hendersonville Family Health Center on the Pardee campus, marking the first time psychiatric services will be offered at the location.

“The majority of these patients are used to going to Pardee for their outpatient care,” Henderson explained. “Unfortunately, many of these patients experience barriers to accessing care, including transportation.”

By providing mental health services in close proximity to the former site of the outpatient clinic, Henderson said the objective is to minimize disruptions during this time of transition, though psychiatric services are also available at the Blue Ridge Health Center on Chimney Rock Road in Hendersonville.

However, Henderson said the only way BRCHS can hire additional staff is with the county's financial backing.

“We would not be able to add this additional team. We would make every attempt to absorb the patients already referred to us, but the services would be much more limited,” Henderson said, noting that the health center is currently recruiting and would like to hire these staff members within the next 30-60 days.

Wyatt said commissioners and the county budget are ready and able to help.

As a result of mental health reform in North Carolina, the state requires that counties set aside a certain amount of money, referred to as “maintenance of effort” funds, for mental health through a regional provider. In Henderson County, that provider is Smoky Mountain Center.

However, Wyatt said, “The board has gone through the process previously of evaluating requests for those funds for local mental health providers, but we've always asked the board not to allocate all of that in order to keep a little bit in reserve. We wanted to have an emergency fund.”

Wyatt estimated that the board has been able to save roughly $118,000. But just as a sense of urgency is bearing down on BRCHS, Wyatt said commissioners need to move quickly as well.

Starting July 1, the maintenance of effort fund will be managed by Smoky Mountain Center. Wyatt said the county will still budget the funds, but Smoky Mountain will decide how the funds are used and then report back to the board.

“We've got this fund balance and the clock's ticking on it, but it's also a very good use of the funding,” Wyatt said. “Let's be clear: This is one-time money. It's going to be up to Jennifer and her folks to use that wisely and make sure that the job gets done.”

The county manager said he has talked with and fielded questions from county commissioners about the request to allocate $100,000 to BRCHS.

“I don't see a lot of contention on this,” he said. “I know every one of the board members is concerned about the 700 people affected.”

<p>To both meet mental health care needs and minimize disruption of care for roughly 700 patients once served by Pardee Hospital's shuttered outpatient psychiatric clinic, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners will be asked Monday to appropriate $100,000 to Blue Ridge Community Health Services.</p><p>“What people need to remember about those 700 people is that these people aren't somebody else. Those 700 people are people you work with. Those people are people you go to school and go to church with ... these are your neighbors,” said County Manager Steve Wyatt. “Failure to address these issues could have devastating effects not only on those consumers, those patients, but also the taxpayers.”</p><p>Last week, Pardee officials announced that the outpatient clinic known as PATHS, which stands for Psychiatric and Addictions Therapeutic Healing Services, would close its outpatient services effective May 1. The closure does not affect the inpatient psychiatric and detoxification services currently offered at the hospital. However, it directly affects BRCHS, which agreed to take on the patient volume.</p><p>Currently, there are 4,283 patients receiving behavioral health services in Henderson County from BRCHS. However, an additional 700 patients would increase the patient volume to almost 5,000 — a sizable increase for a current staff of less than 10 full-time behavioral health professionals.</p><p>If commissioners approve the request Monday, BRCHS CEO Jennifer Henderson said the local health care center will be able to hire an additional psychiatrist, registered nurse and case manager. Henderson said the team would be working at the Hendersonville Family Health Center on the Pardee campus, marking the first time psychiatric services will be offered at the location.</p><p>“The majority of these patients are used to going to Pardee for their outpatient care,” Henderson explained. “Unfortunately, many of these patients experience barriers to accessing care, including transportation.”</p><p>By providing mental health services in close proximity to the former site of the outpatient clinic, Henderson said the objective is to minimize disruptions during this time of transition, though psychiatric services are also available at the Blue Ridge Health Center on Chimney Rock Road in Hendersonville.</p><p>However, Henderson said the only way BRCHS can hire additional staff is with the county's financial backing.</p><p>“We would not be able to add this additional team. We would make every attempt to absorb the patients already referred to us, but the services would be much more limited,” Henderson said, noting that the health center is currently recruiting and would like to hire these staff members within the next 30-60 days.</p><p>Wyatt said commissioners and the county budget are ready and able to help.</p><p>As a result of mental health reform in North Carolina, the state requires that counties set aside a certain amount of money, referred to as “maintenance of effort” funds, for mental health through a regional provider. In Henderson County, that provider is Smoky Mountain Center. </p><p>However, Wyatt said, “The board has gone through the process previously of evaluating requests for those funds for local mental health providers, but we've always asked the board not to allocate all of that in order to keep a little bit in reserve. We wanted to have an emergency fund.”</p><p>Wyatt estimated that the board has been able to save roughly $118,000. But just as a sense of urgency is bearing down on BRCHS, Wyatt said commissioners need to move quickly as well.</p><p>Starting July 1, the maintenance of effort fund will be managed by Smoky Mountain Center. Wyatt said the county will still budget the funds, but Smoky Mountain will decide how the funds are used and then report back to the board.</p><p>“We've got this fund balance and the clock's ticking on it, but it's also a very good use of the funding,” Wyatt said. “Let's be clear: This is one-time money. It's going to be up to Jennifer and her folks to use that wisely and make sure that the job gets done.”</p><p>The county manager said he has talked with and fielded questions from county commissioners about the request to allocate $100,000 to BRCHS.</p><p>“I don't see a lot of contention on this,” he said. “I know every one of the board members is concerned about the 700 people affected.”</p><p>___</p><p>Reach Byrd at caitlin.byrd@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7881.</p>